Mount Carmel is the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 7,982, an order of magnitude greater than that of the next largest town in Wabash County, Allendale, Illinois. The city sits on the western bank of the Wabash River, and is neighbored by a small community informally known as East Mount Carmel, IN. It is the birthplace of Brace Beemer, the voice of The Lone Ranger radio program; Don Liddle, pitcher for the New York Giants from 1952 to 1954, who pitched the decisive fourth game of the '54 World Series; ornithologist/author Robert Ridgway; Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson, recipient of Canada's Victoria Cross; film actor John Short (Maximum Overdrive, Apollo 13); and, during brief intervals, was home to Broadway and television actress Nancy Dussault.
The city was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! for its once multi-colored bridge, painted white and black on the Illinois and Indiana sides of the state line, respectively. The bridge, now green, leads to Indiana Highway 64, connecting Mount Carmel to Princeton, Indiana, home of a new Toyota factory that produces their Tundra line of truck. A coal mine in neighboring Keensburg, Illinois also employs a fair number of Mount Carmel residents. However, Wabash County unemployment rate was, in 2003, a rather high 8.3%. That number predates the loss of some 270 good paying jobs due to the closing of a Snap-on Tools factory that had been in operation since 1937. The economic future of the town is far from certain.
Mount Carmel is located at 38°24'53" North, 87°46'7" West (38.414859, -87.768596).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.4 km2 (4.8 mi2). 12.0 km2 (4.6 mi2) of it is land and 0.4 km2 (0.2 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 3.14% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 7,982 people, 3,302 households, and 2,146 families residing in the city. The population density is 667.1/km2 (1,728.7/mi2). There are 3,653 housing units at an average density of 305.3/km2 (791.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 97.69% White, 0.48% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 3,302 households out of which 29.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% are married couples living together, 10.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% are non-families. 30.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the city the population is spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,715, and the median income for a family is $39,882. Males have a median income of $30,815 versus $17,129 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,391. Median house value is $51,200. 15.8% of the population and 10.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Source:
MountCarmelIllinois.com
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